Stars I Shall Find
by JessieJay13
Summary: Mithian has been working herself too hard. Merlin tempts her to bed with their favorite game.


**A/N: So I got a wild hair and decided that I desperately needed more Merthian in my life. I ship Merlin and Princess Mithian so hard, and there are VERY few stories for it anywhere. So I had to write one of my own. Just a little bit of fluffiness because I need some fluff in my life right now. 3**

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Mithian tapped her quill against the parchment, leaving a blot of ink in the margin of her council notes that she was too tired to have any concern for at the moment. Her attention was taken up instead with watching the tip of the feather sway in the air. It was almost as hypnotizing as the dancing flame on the candle to her left, guttering now as the melted wax rose up to drown the wick.

The dying candle alone was a sign she should have been done an hour ago. The tremendous yawn she struggled—and failed—to suppress was another. She gave herself a quick shake and tried to reapply herself to her task. She made it through another three items she wished to have on the next day's agenda before the chamber door creaked open slowly.

A mop of dark hair peeked into the room. Mithian hid a smile behind her hand as Merlin tiptoed in, too busy watching his feet to notice that she was there.

"You needn't worry," she said abruptly, taking immense pleasure in the way Merlin startled. "You won't wake me if you trip over the chamber pot again."

"What are you doing still up?" Merlin asked, closing the door behind him. "It's late. Well, _early_ , really. I thought for sure you'd be asleep by now."

"If you can stay out for all hours of the night, then why can't I?" Mithian tried to look studious and composed. Another yawn gave her away.

Merlin rolled his eyes. He came around to lean on the desk beside Mithian, hands in his pockets. Mithian ignored him in favor of continuing her paperwork—not that she could ever focus on writing when he was within arm's reach.

"Arthur's council were being particularly difficult today," he said. "The legislation is progressing well, but many of them still have a chip on their shoulder where I'm concerned. Slows things down a bit when they keep huffing and making pointed comments, even after Arthur makes it explicitly clear that he won't tolerate it."

"You'd think they would have more respect for you by now," Mithian said with an aggrieved sigh. "If not for your character or your deeds, then for your titles, at least. They do so love to harp on about titles."

Merlin smiled, reaching out to twist one of Mithian's curls around his finger. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? But apparently being a newly crowned Prince Consort isn't enough when one is a bastard peasant sorcerer who made them all look like fools for a decade or so. Who knew?"

"Who knew indeed?" Mithian repeated with a laugh.

The candle finally gave up the ghost, extinguishing with a little puff of smoke that rose to curl in the air between them. Merlin look at it for a moment and then raised an eyebrow at her. Mithian sighed, recognizing the admonishment for what it was.

"I know, I know," she said, finally laying down her quill. "It's just the thing with Odin. This will be my first time seeing him since becoming Queen. I know maintaining the peace is important, but I don't know if I can hold my temper with that man."

"You'll do just fine," Merlin said, rubbing a soothing hand between her shoulder blades. "The treaty your father signed with Odin is still valid; this is only a renegotiation of the terms. And anyway, you are the consummate stateswoman. If anyone could get through this with poise and elegance, it's you."

"You're a flatterer," Mithian said, shaking her head.

"I speak only the truth, Princess."

Mithian smiled in spite of herself. "I'm not a princess anymore, Merlin. And I told you a long, long time ago that you didn't need to call me that."

Merlin shrugged. "You'll always be my princess."

Mithian was glad she was already sitting down because that particular smile of his always made her weak in the knees. It had been that smile that truly drew her to him, days after Odin's attack on Nemeth, once everyone was safe and all the dust had settled.

He'd been so surprised that she had thought to seek him out and thank him for his part in it all, as if he hadn't saved all of their lives and both of their kingdoms at great risk to himself. When she had made it clear that he would be welcomed in Nemeth as an honored guest, should he ever visit, the grin he had given her nearly knocked her off her feet. It still did.

Mithian cleared her throat, turning back to her notes so that her hair hung down to hide her blush. Merlin's chuckle told her that he'd seen it anyway. Merlin leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head and then left her to her work as he changed for bed.

Having Merlin in the room was both a comfort and a distraction. A part of Mithian wanted to stop what she was doing and just watch the play of muscle in his back as he stripped off his tunic, pulling a sleep shirt on in its place. But there was also something very peaceful about the soft rustling of fabric, the light slap of his bare feet on the stone floor, the gentle sound of his breathing. Simply knowing he was there was a balm to her frayed nerves.

She made good progress on her notes, listing out which issues needed addressing immediately and which ones could be put off for later discussions. She didn't notice that she was straining her eyes in the dimness until a tiny twinkling light winked into existence before her, illuminating her parchment. The light didn't stay steady though. Instead it swayed back and forth for a moment before venturing closer, close enough to tap against her nose. It tickled.

The light darted back and away, toward the bed. Merlin was lounged there, already tucked in for bed, directing the little light with his index finger. When he saw her watching him, he put on his most innocent face, the one Mithian knew better than to believe.

"Is that a hint?" she asked. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

Mithian meant to make another annotation but her quill was suddenly pulled from her hand. It gave a twirl in midair before settling itself resolutely in its inkwell.

"Merlin!"

"Come on, Mith, it's late," he said. "You've prepared all you can and now it's time to sleep."

Mithian hesitated, too tied up in knots to even contemplate sleeping. A slow half-smile spread over Merlin's face.

"We can stargaze," he offered. "That would take your mind off it, right?"

All Mithian's resistance crumbled. She ignored Merlin's sound of triumph as she dusted her parchment to set the ink and then set it aside. She changed into her nightdress quickly, pulling the pins from her hair to let it fall loosely around her shoulders. Merlin turned back the bedcovers to let her crawl in beside him and she lay close by his side, the both of them looking up at the canopy.

All the candles went out in a puff of wind, a comforting darkness enveloping the room. With a wave of Merlin's hand, more lights appeared, twinkling against the fabric above them. They danced for a moment, jockeying for position, before finally resolving into a familiar shape and hanging there contentedly.

Merlin elbowed her. "Alright then. What is it?"

Mithian hummed in contemplation, her eyes tracing each little makeshift star. "Well, it _vaguely_ resembles Eridanus," she said, her tone as pompous and condescending as she could possibly make it, "but for this—" She reached up to nudge one of the stars to the left where it had fallen out of line. "—and this." She poked at another star until it was in its proper place. "There. Much better."

Merlin twirled a finger in the air and the stars followed the motion, chasing each other across the canopy until they fell into a new pattern. Mithian grinned; this one was her favorite.

"Monoceros, of course," she said. "Though that one is a bit far flung." The star made her fingertip tingle when she pushed it into place, the sensation of Merlin's magic warm and familiar against her skin.

Mithian trailed her hand through the middle of the constellation, the little makeshift stars eddying out of her way and being pulled through in her wake. A few stuck to her palm, glittering. She shook them off and poked Merlin in the side, eager for a new challenge. Merlin grumbled something about impatience, but the laugh he gave ruined the effect.

"Very nearly Cetus," Mithian said of the next one. Merlin gave an exasperated sigh as she fixed a star just slightly out of alignment.

"I really thought I'd get you with that one," he said grumpily.

"Please, Merlin. When have you ever managed that with this game?"

"I'll do it," he swore. "One of these days you'll miss something and then I will be vindicated."

"You're a terribly optimistic little thing, aren't you?"

Merlin ignored that particular comment and set up a new constellation.

Mithian squinted at it. "Well, that one _would_ be Perseus if it weren't so terribly lopsided."

"It most certainly is not," Merlin objected.

"Is too," Mithian shot back.

"Is not!"

"I assure you that it is."

"Maybe your _eyes_ are lopsided."

Mithian set to rearranging the stars, prodding the lights into position until they more closely resembled what she knew from the star charts she had spent so many long hours poring over as a girl, from the night sky as she leaned as far out her window as she could without falling.

Once it was perfect, she turned to Merlin with a smirk. He huffed and rolled his eyes, but he had to admit defeat and bow to Mithian's superior knowledge of astronomy. Finally he had to pull her into a kiss, if only to get the smug look off her face. They were both smiling too much for it to be much of a proper kiss, but it set her heart to racing just the same. Merlin's kisses always did.

The kiss turned lazy and sweet, lingering for a few moments longer before they parted. The dim light from the stars limned Merlin's face in silver, but the blue of his eyes was ringed in a gold that glowed strong and bright. Mithian traced a finger down his cheek, rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip. He took her hand in his to keep it where it was, pressing a soft kiss to her palm.

He gathered her in close and Mithian was only too happy to tuck herself into his side. She fit so perfectly against him, her head resting on his shoulder and an arm around his waist. The light continued to flicker, a faint glow through her closed eyelids, as Merlin amused himself creating new constellations and Mithian wondered, as she did every time, if Merlin couldn't rearrange the stars in the heavens as well.

She didn't realize she'd spoken aloud until Merlin kissed her forehead.

"For you, Princess? I'd find a way."

Mithian drifted off to sleep with Merlin's heartbeat in her ear and falling stars settling around her like a glittering rain, soft and warm and utterly perfect.


End file.
